How Does Umahi Fit Into APC’s 2023 Plans?

By GWG Staff

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is engaging Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State towards aborting what party leaders fear is his imminent exit from the party to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The move follows rumours in Ebonyi and the Southeast that the governor has all but formally dumped the PDP for the APC. The rumours are despite the strong official denials of the governor of turning his back on the party that gave him stewardship as deputy governor and a two-term governor.

However, the rumours are strongly stirred by ongoing political realities on ground in the state. it is repeatedly claimed without evidence that the governor has met with the APC leadership in Abuja and it is even claimed that he has obtained an APC membership card in his ward.

Though the claims have been officially denied, last month’s vituperation from the State House of Assembly again raised concern. The House of Assembly on October 19 issued a seven day ultimatum to the National Working Committee, NWC of the party to zone the 2023 presidency to the Southeast.

Addressing Newsmen in Abakaliki, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru affirmed that if the party does not heed its ultimatum within the given period that it would amount to grave consequences for the party in Ebonyi State.

“The unity of our beloved country, Nigeria, has always been hinged on the principles of equity, justice, and fairness. It is on such conventional wisdom that the country has striven to grow and develop equally across all her geopolitical zones.

Since the ultimatum was given on October 19, 2020 nothing much has been heard from the national leadership of the party.

Sources in Ebonyi, however, told GWG that the ultimatum reflects the agitation among the legislators as a reasonable number of them have already set their minds towards defecting with the governor to the APC.

A political stakeholder familiar with the development told GWG that despite the governor’s stature in the PDP that his prospects in 2023 for either the presidential or vice-presidential ticket had almost been eliminated.

The governor according to some sources believes that his chances could be brighter in the APC where he could be positioned for either the running mate or for the main ticket should the APC decide in zoning the ticket to the Southeast which is presently seen as unlikely.

However, few believe that those prospects are very unlikely.

“How can the APC give its ticket whether president or vice for someone that is just coming over? What is the basis of that?” a senior member of the party from the Southeast told GWG.

On ground, however, associates of the governor it was gathered have been seriously canvassing a shift to the APC with many of the members of the state House of Assembly and all of the local government chairmen already signed into the plot.

However, a source privy to the developments in Ebonyi said that the governor has been held back by the fact that not all the members of the state House of Assembly had signed into the plot as it is feared that the governor could face impeachment proceedings if a significant proportion of the legislators remain in the PDP.

A high ranking NEC member, however, told GWG that the governor is being engaged by various levels of the party towards pulling him back from the exit door.

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